Chapter 3480: Vote with Your Feet

Chapter 3479: Vote with your feet

The cold wind blew up the yellow sand, and the iron armor was stained with blood.

The smell of blood is actually very bad, and strangely, the longer it lasts, the more fishy it seems to become. Even if the nose is used to this smell, the heart still won't accept this smell.

But as a soldier of the Hussars, Wu Ming had to accept it, and even had to create more blood with his own hands.

Wu Ming is not famous.

He is not like those heroes who are famous all over the world and shake the world. He is not even famous in his hometown...

If he still has a hometown.

If there is still an if, he should be born in that inconspicuous mountain village, and then live in that mountain village all his life, marry a woman with rough hands and feet like him, and then have a litter of cubs, and grow up playing in the mud in the fields with other farmers' cubs, just like him and his father and ancestors, the same life, the same without any change.

His parents are simple farmers, working from sunrise to sunset, their lives are simple and hard.

If there were any more ifs, he would be like his parents, holding a hoe and a pickaxe all his life, instead of chopping off heads like now.

The war shattered all the peace and tranquility...

Wu Ming remembered that when he was a child, although life in the village was poor, everyone lived happily.

He and his friends ran and played hide-and-seek in the mountains and fields, while the adults worked and watched them and laughed.

The sky at that time seemed bluer than now, and the clouds were whiter.

The day was warmer than now, and the night was quieter than now.

But later, the smiles on the faces of the adults gradually became less, and then Wu Ming heard the words war, famine, refugees, etc. from the adults for the first time. But Wu Ming at that time did not know the meaning of these words. He was still silly and happy, running from one end of the forest to the other, climbing trees to take bird eggs, and picking berries in the bushes to eat, until the peaceful life was trampled by war and fire.

Wu Ming still remembers that it was a day that couldn't be more ordinary, ordinary couldn't be more ordinary, and then everything became unusual, extraordinary.

The screams of death and the collision of metal spread along the road.

The adults hurriedly packed up and took Wu Ming and other children to hide in the mountains.

That was the first time Wu Ming felt the fear of war so closely...

Even now, Wu Ming is still afraid of war. When he cuts off the head of his opponent, he still feels disgusted, and his heartbeat is still fast, as if it will jump out of his chest.

But now, he no longer escapes.

Because Wu Ming knows that escape is useless.

The more you escape, the more painful it is.

During those days of hiding in the mountains, food immediately became extremely scarce. Berries and wild vegetables were the best delicacies, and bark and leaves became food to fill the stomach...

His life was no longer about playing, but following the adults to pick wild vegetables and grind bark.

The bark cannot be eaten directly, so it must be smashed on the stone again and again, and then the pulp and the smashed bark are mixed into cakes, pretending to be real food cakes.

Swallowing that kind of cake is like cutting your throat with a knife.

If you don't eat it, it means that fire is burning in your stomach, which will make you crazy!

Wu Ming and his friends thought that they had escaped once and could return to their original stable life, but they were disappointed...

Then they were desperate...

The desperate life lasted for a long time until the appearance of the General of the Cavalry.

Oh, at that time, the General of the Cavalry was not a Cavalry, he was only a General of the Central Army.

Wu Ming remembered that when he first met the Cavalry, the Cavalry asked them to jump into a "pit"...

It was really a pit, dug out on the ground, and then simply built with some wooden boards and cattails, and then filled with water.

Wu Ming once thought that the Cavalry wanted to bury them alive, but thinking about it, it didn't seem like it, after all, burying them alive didn't require so much trouble. So he jumped down, and got a new robe!

Wu Ming remembered that he was naked at the time, but he was holding that robe, hunched over, and crying!

For so many years, Wu Ming thought he would not cry, and would not feel pain, but that robe made Wu Ming feel the pain again and shed tears again...

That robe was actually very ordinary, ordinary linen, rough and simple, but Wu Ming always treated that robe as a treasure, wrapped it neatly and placed it in a camphorwood box.

It was a treasure more precious than gold and silver.

In Shandong, people like Wu Ming had to be farmers, obey labor, and be captured as strong men. They were simply working like cows and horses, and they might not be able to enjoy the food and things that the upper class people ate and used, but here in the cavalry, he only needed to do a job well.

So, even if Wu Ming didn't like the smell of blood, he would do what a soldier should do!

In Guanzhong, he understood one thing: although they were the same Han people, not all places would treat the people as human beings!

…

…

Some people say that the army and the people are like fish and water.

But suddenly one day, the fish in the fish pond died.

Some people said that the fish was too delicate, and could not withstand the wind, rain, and scorching sun, and would turn over at the slightest dissatisfaction.

Some people also say that the fish is too lazy and doesn't know how to work hard to find food. It's best to find three jobs a day, so that it can live well.

Most people are talking about the problem of the fish, but no one mentions that the water quality has changed, and no one talks about what the person who manages the fish pond has done or not done...

Wu Ming doesn't know whether these statements are right or wrong. He just knows that in Shandong, if he gets his breathing rhythm wrong, it is called malicious breathing, and in Guanzhong, as long as he does one thing well, he will be praised and rewarded.

So Wu Ming now regards killing as hoeing the land and chopping as cutting firewood.

Hoe away the weeds and plant hope.

Chop off the dead branches and harvest merits.

The enemy should be hoeed and felled, and compatriots should leave hope!

The cold wind in the mountains rolled up the dead leaves and yellow sand. Wu Ming held the sword tightly in one hand, and slightly blocked the wind and sand in front of his eyes with the other hand, looking into the distance.

In front is Hengshan Rock.

Take it down, and the cavalry will win!

That's what Sima Cong said.

Then take it!

The oncoming wind and sand hit the sword and armor, making a crisp rustling sound, which seemed to be the rush of blood and the wail of death.

『Enemy army! 』 The soldiers in front shouted loudly, 『They are climbing up too! 』

The mountain mist was cold and fierce, bringing out the murderous aura.

As the shouts from the front came, more than a dozen arrows followed the shouts and shot at Wu Ming and others!

The Cao army on the opposite side was obviously also an old hand. They did not rush to shoot Wu Ming and others as soon as they climbed up. Instead, they waited until their breath was evened out and Wu Ming and others discovered them before shooting at Wu Ming and others.

『Be careful of arrows! 』

Wu Ming shouted and raised his shield to cover his head, face, chest and neck.

『There are not many of them! 』 Wu Ming judged it at the first time and shouted, 『Charge up! It's not possible here! It's useless to be a target! Grab the ridge! '

The hussars following Wu Ming also reacted, using shields to cover themselves or sabers to fight back.

In the dark night and with the mountain wind, Cao Jun's arrows were not very accurate, and they could hear arrows hitting shields and armor or piercing the surrounding ground.

In this position, it was obviously not at all advantageous to shoot at Cao Jun in the same place.

The hussars following Wu Ming shouted angrily and rushed up against the arrows.

Occasionally, a few stray arrows hit the armor, making a ding-dong sound, but Wu Ming didn't care at all, just buried his head and moved forward!

'Kill! '

While Wu Ming roared, he rushed forward, his saber whistled down, and immediately cut off half of the arm of the first Cao Jun!

Wu Ming didn't have any outstanding fighting skills, and the only thing he could rely on was the three-axe hacking and killing that he had practiced thousands of times during the team training.

Step up, hack!

Charge, stab!

Step back, block!

On the ridge, there was a sound of metal and flesh clashing.

It was like the owner of a pork shop came to do business, chopping meat with a click and a sizzle.

Some people died on the spot, rolling down the mountain like sand and stones, while others were just injured and not dead yet, falling to the ground, screaming, and then someone stabbed them with a knife, or stepped on them in the soil, and the screams turned into muffled sounds...

The mountain mist blew over, enveloping the fragmented whistle.

The whistle was the sound of life lost from the cut aorta.

The soldiers of the Cao army also rushed forward and killed Wu Ming and others.

At the beginning of the battle, there were fewer cavalry soldiers and more soldiers of the Cao army.

Because no matter what, Cao's soldiers were running in the camp, with a relatively short distance, while the cavalry soldiers took a detour, and the queues were lengthened, so when the soldiers arrived at Hengshan Rock, they were not in order. But no matter whether there was one cavalry soldier or three, as long as they heard the sound of shouting and killing in front, they did not hesitate at all, and rushed up directly!

The space on the ridge itself was not very large. Dozens of people fought on the top of the mountain, which filled this area. Both sides knew that whoever occupied this area could gain a certain geographical advantage!

The Cao army wanted it, and the cavalry army also wanted it!

The Cao army soldiers who came from behind did not seem to expect that the cavalry soldiers were so fierce. Dozens of them dared to rush up. They could not react for a while. The Cao army soldiers who came up from behind were inevitably a little flustered. They didn't know what they should do, but just shouted and cursed.

Some of the Cao army soldiers who climbed up the hillside wanted to support their side, so they shot arrows with bows. Their original intention was good, but in the dark night, with the flickering lights and fire, it was already difficult to distinguish the enemy and ourselves who were fighting each other, not to mention that they had to seize the fleeting opportunity to shoot and kill the enemy soldiers when the two sides were fighting?

So the arrows shot by the Cao army soldiers in the rear did not cause much damage to Wu Ming and others, but shot Cao’s own soldiers in the buttocks, and shot down several of them...

There were also brave men in the Cao army.

These Cao army soldiers also wanted to break the balance of this chaos and let the Cao army gain the upper hand, so they rushed towards Wu Ming desperately. They saw that Wu Ming was a small leader of the Hussars, and wanted to kill Wu Ming and let this vanguard of the Hussars retreat in frustration!

But no matter how these Cao Jun soldiers attacked, Wu Ming and others were like stones on the river bank, standing firmly there and refusing to retreat, life or death!

If Wu Ming and others were halfway up the mountain, then Cao's soldiers would rush forward without fear of death. The geographical disadvantage would inevitably make Wu Ming and others unable to stand on the hillside, and they would be crushed even if they were unwilling. Go back to the valley.

But now Wu Ming and Cao Jun's soldiers were standing staggered on the ridge. The height difference between the two sides was the same. On the contrary, Cao Jun's soldiers who rushed up from behind needed to attack from behind. One of them lost his footing and slipped down the slope first.

…

…

Dong Zhao supervised the battle. From the beginning, he felt sure of victory, but then gradually became anxious and uneasy.

He felt relatively confident at first, but now his confidence was like fine sand in his hands. He seemed to have it, but as soon as he applied force, it began to slip away...

Why are there so many brave men in the Hussars?

Could it be that the Hussars have some magic trick to recruit these soldiers who are not able to fight one against a hundred, but at least they are still brave and aggressive when fighting against three?

If one person fights against three people, he will most likely suffer a loss, but if thirty people fight against a hundred people, he may not necessarily suffer a loss.

There were many soldiers in Cao's army, but they were not united. Although there were few people on the hussar side, everyone worked together and cooperated with each other, and they actually fought evenly with Cao's soldiers!

Dong Zhao saw that there were more and more hussar soldiers, and there was even a faint tendency to suppress Cao's soldiers, so he couldn't help but panic!

"Come forward!" Dong Zhao shouted, "Come on me!" 』

The soldiers of Cao Jun were pressing against each other and squeezing each other. They all seemed to be trying very hard to rush forward, but they were just standing still.

Why did he and his men come first and arrive at the ridge first, but now it seems that he is attacking the ridge controlled by the Hussars?

"This can't happen!" Dong Zhao frowned, "Archer!" Where is the leader of the archers? 』

A team of archers came over, "What are the military advisor's orders?" 』

Dong Zhao pointed to the ridge, "Gather fire to cover it!" 』

The leader of the archers was stunned, "Huh?" Why don't we let our people retreat first? 』

Dong Zhao shook his head, "We can't retreat!" Shoot directly! 』

"But..." The archer team leader hesitated, "But..."

"No but!" Dong Zhao said angrily, "If we can't hold this place, the whole camp will be in danger!" Is the safety of the battalion more important, or these lives? ! immediately! shoot! 』

The leader of the archers clicked his lips, but finally bowed his head and accepted the order.

After all, he was just standing behind and shooting arrows. He had done his duty by saying a few words to the soldiers in front. As for the rest...

Isn't this an "order"?

Even if you die unjustly, if you want to blame, you can only blame the superiors. Don't argue with me, a person who only follows orders...

As long as it's not you who dies, then no big deal is too big.

The archers led the team in psychological construction. At first, their voices were a little suppressed, but later they felt more and more reasonable. When they finally gave the order, they even felt that the soldiers at the front deserved it!

Who kept them from rushing forward?

Who prevented them from defeating the Hussars?

So the voice of the leader of the archers became louder: "Everyone is ready!" Nocking an arrow! aim! 』

On the other side, Dong Zhao called his guards, "As soon as the arrow falls, lead your men and charge forward!" Be sure to take the ridge down! 』

The guard looked at the ridge, and for some reason suddenly felt a chill on his back. "Commander, I'm here to protect you. Now... I'm going to lead people up there, but there's no one left to protect you," he said. 』

Dong Zhao drew out his long sword and waved it in front of him a few times. "I have also learned swordsmanship, and ordinary thieves can't get close to me!" You can rest assured! The ridge here is the key point of Hengshan Rock! If we can't defend it, the whole camp will be in danger! You and I are in personal danger, so why bother! Don't say any more, get ready now! 』

The guard looked at the long sword in Dong Zhao's hand, sighed in his heart, and could only accept the order.

From the perspective of a superior, there was nothing wrong with what Dong Zhao was doing at the moment.

Zhongtiao Mountain Camp is a collective, so what's the problem with sacrificing individuals for the benefit of the collective?

Of course this is the truth, but the question is why are those sacrificed always the individuals at the bottom?

If Dong Zhao led his men to charge up, was not afraid of sacrifice, and led his soldiers to capture the ridge, then even if Sima Yi finally arrived here with the subsequent hussar soldiers, it would be difficult for him to charge down.

But Dong Zhao didn't.

He is used to letting his subordinates sacrifice, letting his soldiers sacrifice, and letting those at the bottom sacrifice, and then in the name of righteousness, the safety of the entire battalion is in danger.

The archers led Dong Zhao's guards and obeyed Dong Zhao's orders, but that didn't mean they thought Dong Zhao did the right thing, but that their interests were closely linked to Dong Zhao. They are vested interests, not innocent office workers. While enjoying the pleasure of controlling the lives and deaths of others brought by small rights, on the other hand, he is looking for excuses to excuse his own guilt.

Arrows roared down, and the soldiers of Cao's army who were fighting Wu Ming and others, together with Wu Ming and other hussar soldiers, were covered by the rain of arrows!

Immediately, the soldiers of both sides on the ridge fell in large pieces like Zhuang He being cut down!

"rush! Go! Dong Zhao's guards were overjoyed when they saw this. They waved their swords in their hands and shouted, "The military advisor has an order!" Rush forward! Take the ridge! 』

Dong Zhao's guards shouted, and then a bunch of people shouted, but many Cao soldiers did not rush up...

Some people even just shouted in place, without even taking a step forward.

'Charge, charge! Charge! '

Dong Zhao's guard leader shouted anxiously, 'You all charge up! Why not charge? '

But the surrounding Cao soldiers still stood still and shouted.

Dong Zhao's guards raised their knives, 'Charge! Charge up! Those who disobey military orders will be killed! Those who hesitate to move forward will be killed! '

The surrounding Cao soldiers then walked forward, then walked two steps and stopped one step, and some even walked forward in a zigzag pattern...

The soldiers at the bottom had no say. Even the Zhonglingjun Zhonghujun brought by Dong Zhao were considered good elite soldiers, but in Dong Zhao's eyes, the difference between them and ordinary soldiers was only the price, and their lives were not that important.

No one in the upper echelons of the ruling class would take them seriously. It seemed to have become a habit, a rule. However, at this critical moment, we could see that these soldiers at the bottom began to vote with their feet...